Maple Leaf Mailbag rock'N roadshow

Staying at the Burrard Inn on Burrard Street. $105 per night. I'm angry because the crew did not make it down from Whistler until 2 pm. We hold a meeting to talk about how we will proceed. I'm responsible for this problem but I'm disappointed because I feel the guys should know better. The idea in Vancouver is to shoot evidence of the upcoming Olympics, the Downtown Lower East Side, an interview with listener Jenny Moss and a hit with Tom skateboarding. After Jenny we head out to the Roxy to blow off some steam. It works well, maybe it's because people are feeling clearer about their roles.

Day 4:
Boys get up early and go snowboarding. My body is sick so I can't. It seems strange but the boys have taken the number-two camera to shoot in the snowboard park before taking master shots with the primary. Good light, get the master, simple, but it seems we're out of sync. Luckily the weather holds, the boys get the shots we need. I take the Peak 2 Peak Gondola which is impressive. Talk to lots of potential listeners on the gondola. Later we take a snowcat to the top of Blackcomb Mountain and have fondue at the Crystal Hut. Forty of us. Music. A captive audience, Marty and I interview them all. Head to bed. Vancouver tomorrow.

We're on the boat early. There's the familiar smell of deep fry. Breakfast is interrupted by Ian and Tom—the first of potentially many confrontations. We dock at Horseshoe Bay, and ride the construction zone known as the Sea-to-Sky Highway up to the heavens. The work is being done for the 2010 Olympics. We arrive in Whistler and take on the tourists. Despite the pretentious appearances, people are friendly and conversations are amicable.

Day 4:
The day dawns. Tom, Martin and I are at the top of Whistler Mountain. The sun breaks over the peak. It's another fantastic day in British Columbia. The conditions are spring-like, and the snow is hard-packed, but that doesn't diminish the felicitous feelings. My saw blade cuts through the ice like steak. In the evening at the Crystal Hut high over the valley below, a feast awaits us inside, and the merriment extends late into the night.

Whistler. I haven't been up here for years. A few new hotels, new condos, fancier ski suits, nothing changes. This is still a place built on the idea of fun. Serious fun requires a lot of organization, and they've got it down to a science here. Wanna rent a board? That should take about three minutes. Want a slopeside meal? Service with a smile (and an Australian accent). Want to talk to some avid skiers from all over the globe? Here they come in droves through the village, disembarking from the gondola at day's end, condo bound for a hot drink and some relaxation. We talk to loads of people, before making our way to a down-tempo sushi spot for a good meal. Tomorrow we hit the mountain!

Day 4:
A few runs before breakfast, before the cameras and the microphones and all that those entail. A little taste of what everyone travels all over the world to enjoy: Whistler's world-class ski runs and amazing views. Afterwards, Ian joins us at the top of Whistler, and we jump aboard Whistler's newest attraction, the Peak 2 Peak gondola. Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains are separated by a deep valley. Before the Peak 2 Peak opened, if you wanted to ski the two mountains in one day you had to ski all the way down one mountain to the village and then ride the lifts back up the other. The whole trip from one peak to another could take more than an hour. Now you can switch mountains in 11 minutes using the Peak 2 Peak. The gondola travels up and over Fitzsimmon's Creek. At the highest point, you're suspended 436 metres over the valley floor—akin to being in a very quiet aircraft. So there we are at the top of Blackcomb. But we don't have time to ski the hill because we've got to head back over to Whistler to meet up with local snowboarder Mike Hart for a quick lesson on freestyle fundamentals. Mike's a hot-shot snowboarder, who's now working primarily as a filmer in the action sports movie industry. You wouldn't know it from his soft-spoken appearance, but this guy rips. Day's end finds us back at the condo. Martin heads up the mountain, courtesy of Whistler Snowmobile Adventures to capture the sunset over Whistler Valley. The shots are spectacular. That night, we're booked in to enjoy the mountain-top fondue party at the Crystal Hut, a chance to meet and mingle with Whistler's international visitors. Good food, good people, and hilarity as Ian works the room for the MLMB. The ride down in the snowcat seems longer than the ride up, but maybe that's just tiredness speaking.

Whistler, I'm back! Rolling some B-roll and interviews of skiers...Relaxing on a terrace...Broke a bottle of beer (strike 2)...

Day 4:
Warm and sunny spring day at the mountain...rolled some shots of Tom and Blake riding their boards...peak to peak baby!...had a nice fondue on the mountain, met some strange people from Wisconsin, made Ian do some interviews...Funny!